i would say, going inside and replacing all the caps and the PRAM battery, and cleaning both boards would be a very good idea, as it would (imo) keep the boards in better shape (no leaking electrolyte all over the place) and make the computer last much longer than is currently thought possible.
i had an old IBM AT motherboard that got destroyed from simply sitting, as it's soldered-down CMOS battery leaked out all over the board. i could see the same thing happening to the old compact Macs, especially those that are forgotten about. so, i think frequent use is also a good thing, as if something goes or is going bad you will be more likely to find out about it. mechanical parts such as the floppy drive and hard drive (if equipped) i believe work better if not left to sit. on the other hand, CRTs wear out with use too. how much, i don't really know. but its something to keep in mind i guess. i wouldn't leave a compact Mac powered on unnecessarily for the same reason i wouldn't leave a very old television on when i'm not watching it. the analog board i think would also deteriorate with use too, although replacing the caps and other components at the known failure points would negate that. just some thoughts On Mon, Mar 8, 2010 at 2:58 PM, David Colvin <[email protected]> wrote: > Let me ask everyone something. If a person wants his early Mac (no fan) to > last forever, whats the best approach? Use it occasionally for short > periods? Use it for several hours each day? Put it inside a plastic bag, box > it up and never take it out and play with it? Or some other approach? I > would be curious to hear opinions about this. > -- ----- You received this message because you are a member of the Vintage Macs group. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/vintagemacs.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To leave this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/vintage-macs Support for older Macs: http://lowendmac.com/services/
